Alternative
by Mainstream
Summary: Baby Kal-el is found not by the Kents, but by Lionel Luthor and his son in this retelling of the Smallville pilot, which includes changes to both the characters and some of the events.


Prologue  
  
--October 1989  
  
The meteors had been hurling through space for three years now. Their voyage was almost complete. In a matter of hours, the last son of an advanced race would land on the planet Earth.  
  
But only if he could survive the trials his father placed before him, would he achieve greatness. The very meteors that shielded him from the satellites' prying eyes were also the only mineral that could kill him and the first challenge he would have to conquer.  
  
The child wouldn't have to worry about that, yet. For now, he slept as the spacecraft that held him passed the moon.  
  
* * *  
  
"Open your eyes, Lex," ordered Lionel Luthor.  
  
"I-I can't. I'm scared," whined Alexander, Lionel's son, who preferred to go by "Lex". He clenched his armrest as the LuthorCorp helicopter veered to the right. Lionel grabbed Lex by his curly red hair.  
  
"Luthor's are not afraid, Lex, you know that. We don't have that luxury," explained his father, who bore little resemblance to his nine-year- old son. Lionel's own hair was a dark brown, while his beard was his only feature showing approaching signs of aging. His eyes reflected ruthlessness.  
  
Lex on the other hand, whimpered at the thought of his current position: flying in his merciless father's company chopper, once again being pressured to take on the vibrant image of his father so he could one day take over his father's legacy and assume the role as CEO of LuthorCorp. He had yet to see any morality in his father, or even any sign that, if he were to be stripped of his wealth, he could be a parent.  
  
But still he convinced himself that the father inside Lionel was hiding, and slowly, he opened his eyes and looked out the window.  
  
They were flying over Smallville. Lex could see a few scattered barns, endless fields of corn, and in the distance was what looked like the town. As he squinted, he could make out a sign, which read: "Welcome to Smallville--Creamed Corn Capital of the World! Population: 25,001".  
  
Lex saw only innocence and not a trace of the hellhole it would soon become.  
  
* * *  
  
Three-year-old Lana Lang sat outside her Aunt's flower shop as she waited for her parents, Lewis and Laura, to return from the homecoming game.  
  
She heard a vehicle approaching and jumped up, but instead of her parents, it was the Kent couple, Jonathon and Martha, in their red pickup truck. Disappointed, Lana sat back down.  
  
The Kent's got out of their truck and walked over to greet Lana. Martha sat down with her as Jonathon continued inside.  
  
"That's a beautiful dress, Lana. Are you a princess?" asked Martha, making her giggle.  
  
"I'm a fairy princess! Would you like to make a wish?" she offered.  
  
"I would love to make a wish," smiled Martha. She closed her eyes as Lana waved her wand and lightly tapped her on the head. They both grinned as Jonathon came out, carrying a bouquet of tulips. Martha got up, waved good-bye, and walked with her husband to their truck.  
  
"I know what you wished for," revealed Jonathon as they got in the truck.  
  
"It's all I've ever wanted, Jonathon. A child of our own," sighed Martha.  
  
"I know, Martha, I know. Tell you what. We'll head over to Metropolis tomorrow and visit the adoption center. Maybe you'll find that special child," assured Jonathon. He leaned over to kiss her, but they were interrupted by a loud horn honk. Jonathon peered out the truck and was rewarded with the sight of parade floats and football jocks riding in their cars and trucks, all waving "Go Crows!" flags.  
  
"Looks like the Smallville Crows won the homecoming game!" chuckled Jonathon.  
  
* * *  
  
The child woke up. He looked around but only saw the same metal interior of his spaceship that he had stared at for three years. He had only dim memories of the few months after his birth that he had spent on his home world.  
  
Outside his ship, the meteors were destroying any floating object in their way. They reduced speed slightly as they entered Earth's atmosphere. The chunks were too big to burn away and continued to travel to their destination.  
  
The child could feel his ship buckle and jerk as it too entered Earth's atmosphere, bringing his planet's debris along with him...and hell to the citizens of Smallville.  
  
* * *  
  
Lex looked back at his father. He was signing a contract that would make his purchase of William Ross' land official and legal. He would also have to look at other forms and do more business things that bored Lex.  
  
He took advantage of his father's distraction and wandered into the cornfield. He was marveled by the height of the stalks and the very life that inhabited the field. As if in a trance, he walked deeper into the field, much like his father would walk into a meeting and command attention. For once, he felt almost at home.  
  
That's when he heard the cry for help. He looked around, but could not find the voice's origin. Lex panicked and began to quicken his pace, not realizing that he had forgotten which way he had came from.  
  
Suddenly, he tripped and fell. He frantically searched his pockets for his asthma inhaler. 'Curse this darn school uniform!' he thought to himself with the realization that he had dropped it a few meters back.  
  
Lex looked up and, to his horror, saw a teenager tied to a cross with a red "S" painted across his chest and wearing only his boxers. A scarecrow was the first image he could associate the boy with that popped into Lex's mind.  
  
"Please.help me," pleaded the scarecrow boy. Overcoming his paralysis, Lex got up and began to turn back. "No! Please.help me down. You.gotta' help."  
  
He looked at scarecrow boy again and decided to approach him.just as the sky itself appeared to catch fire.  
  
Changing his mind, Lex ran back the way he came, leaving scarecrow boy in utter disbelief. He did not see the fireballs that were rapidly approaching the ground.  
  
Two of the fireballs headed for the field Lex stumbled in. The first one landed a mere two meters behind scarecrow boy. It shook the ground violently and caused dust to fly in all directions. The shockwave knocked Lex to the ground.  
  
The second, however, descended much more softly, almost as if it were trying to land safely but had reached the ground much too quickly. Lex only got a brief glance at it: it was metallic, about six feet long, and triangular in shape. There was a bulge at the back, which appeared to be a cockpit or something of the sort. But he fell into unconsciousness before he could realize that it was an actual spacecraft.  
  
* * *  
  
In town, the meteors had also begun their destruction as well. The first had crashed into a parked car, which alarmed many. It was a quiet five minutes before the next two crashed and all chaos erupted.  
  
Lana's aunt, Nell, grabbed her and pulled her into the store. But before she could shield her eyes, Lana witnessed her parents' car pull up across the street. They were desperately trying to get out and join Nell and Lana inside the flower shop, but they were not quick enough. A meteor hit their car, engulfing it in flames.  
  
Nell used her body to shield Lana. As she did, she could begin to feel a cold feeling. Her body went numb, and in a matter of seconds, she was dead from the radiation emitted by the meteorite.  
  
Lana wept for them for hours to come.  
  
* * *  
  
Meanwhile, Jonathon and Martha were driving down the main road, heading home. Jonathon was driving maniacally, trying to dodge the falling meteors.  
  
Suddenly, a large meteor crashed directly in front of them, forcing Jonathon to drive off the road. This caused the truck to flip over and land upside-down, knocking them both out cold.  
  
It wasn't until much later that they were finally rescued.  
  
* * *  
  
Lionel had fallen and was just getting up. He looked around but could not find his son.  
  
"Lex? Lex!" he called out hysterically. He looked out the flattened cornfield and saw a clump of stalks that were about the size of Lex if he were curled up.  
  
He ran out into the field and tossed the stalks away, only to find nothing. He stared at the ground, hoping that the situation was not what it appeared. Hoping that his son was not really dead. He closed his eyes and lowered his head.  
  
The sound of rustling startled him and caused him to look up. He saw a naked boy, perhaps no older than three, carrying Lex.  
  
In joy, Lionel ran over to them and took his son, who began to groggily awaken. To his amazement, Lex had lost his hair. At first, Lionel saw his son's baldness in a way a stranger would: disgust. But Lionel's face slowly became a smile and Lex finally saw the father that was always there, but always in disguise.  
  
Lionel removed his jacket and wrapped the boy in it. Boys didn't fall from the sky. Where was this one from? In curiosity, Lionel looked around and saw the metallic object.  
  
"You're not from around here, are you?" Lionel asked the boy. The boy looked up at him and smiled, mimicking Lionel. "You'll come with us, I suppose, and we'll cover this up."  
  
As he got up with Lex in his arms and the boy following him, he couldn't help but stare at the sky.  
  
"I promise you: we'll never let you be taken away to become a lab rat," said Lionel slowly. He was surprised at his decision, but deep down, it seemed the right thing to do.even for a Luthor. Chapter 1  
  
Twelve years later.  
  
"Kyle!"  
  
"Whu-? What is it, Lex?" asked Kyle as he woke up.  
  
"You're late for school. Again," pointed out his brother, Lex.  
  
"So? I'll run."  
  
"Don't use that voice with me. And never mention your.talents again. You never know if a place is bugged. Besides, you don't have to constantly remind me that you're a freak."  
  
"A freak? At least I'm not bald. And don't get paranoid," smirked Kyle. He had only been in Smallville for two days now, and living with his brother instead of his dad wasn't as glamorous as it sometimes seemed.  
  
"Looks like you haven't grown out of the teenage phase," commented Lex.  
  
"What do you mean? Oh wait, lemme' guess.I haven't been the Boy Scout daddy hoped for me to be? No, that's not it. Could it be I'm reflecting your old childhood? Late nights at Metropolis Night clubs and parties with college kids? Getting drunk and needing dad's money to bail me out? No, I don't think we'll have to worry about that."  
  
"I don't want to see history repeat itself. Not that it matters to me. Go ahead: make a bad reputation out of yourself. Just know that I won't be there."  
  
"Lex, an afternoon at the Wild Coyote hardly seems like a place where I'd need help to evade the police. Not like, say, Club Zero." That shut Lex up. There was an awkward pause that wasn't broken until Kyle's digital clock beeped, marking the eighth hour of the day.  
  
"Get to school," was his final statement, but before he could finish, Kyle became a blur and disappeared from the room.  
  
"Oh, hell," muttered Lex as he turned around and left the room.  
  
* * *  
  
Jeremy gazed at the post where he had once been tied to only twelve fateful years ago.  
  
'Has it really been that long?' he wondered. He couldn't understand how he was still alive after the explosion that freed him from his bindings.  
  
But he could remember it.  
  
The shockwave made by the meteor impact had unearthed his post and sent him flying several yards away. When he landed, he could begin to feel the otherworldly cold shiver that ran through him. Radiation had gripped him and tried to pull him into an eternal sleep. But Jeremy's will to live was strong.  
  
He then remembered being found by a rescue team that took him to Smallville hospital, where he laid comatose for the next dozen years.  
  
But the radiation had affected his DNA, which was changing him over the decade. It finally reached its height of mutation when a lightning bolt struck the hospital and powered him up like a million light bulbs. Semi- conscious, he left the building undetected.  
  
Now, he stood back in Chandler's Field. The corn had grown again-taller than before-and, to his fury, the scarecrow post was once again in the field.  
  
They would have to learn, so Jeremy would have to teach them. He left the field and headed for Smallville High School.  
  
* * *  
  
Kyle possessed amazing speed. In a matter of minutes, he had traveled several miles from the Luthor Mansion to school.  
  
As he approached Smallville High, he could spot his friend from Metropolis, Chloe Sullivan. He came to a full stop behind a tree, as to not be seen. His father had made it very clear since he was young that NO ONE could ever see him use his gifts.  
  
"Well, if it isn't another of Luthor's kids coming to ruin our town," said a boy standing next to Chloe. Kyle confidently walked up to them.  
  
"Who's this?" he asked Chloe.  
  
"This is Pete Ross. Your dad bought his creamed corn factory and then demolished it to make way for his fertilizer plant.after he told them that he wouldn't. So, needless to say, he hates all Luthor's," she explained.  
  
"Uh, yeah, damn right, what she said. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, after all. So: what are you doing in Smallville?" demanded Pete.  
  
"Look, before you go and judge me any further, don't base any of it on 'Luthor blood'. I'm adopted. And I'm here in Smallville because my father believes I'll have a positive influence on my brother," replied Kyle. "I guess you can say that I'm here to do good."  
  
"Yeah right. No Luthor has ever done any good to anybody. I seriously doubt that's what you're here to do."  
  
"Well, if that were true, then my last name wouldn't be Luthor," Kyle pointed out as he turned his back to them and left for class.  
  
* * *  
  
School was miserable for Kyle. Pete turned out to be not the only kid whose family had gotten screwed up by Lionel. This made it very difficult to talk to anyone without getting a dirty look. By sixth period, he was very seriously considering going back to Metropolis.  
  
But Luthor's were not cowards and Kyle was an honorary Luthor. That meant he didn't even dare ask Lionel for a helicopter ride back home.  
  
Still, if he didn't have Chloe as a friend, he would at least ask Lex for advice.  
  
He made sure no one was watching him so he could enter Kyle Time, where to him, everything appeared to just freeze, but in fact, he was going very, very fast. Super-fast, to sum it up.  
  
As he sped down the main road, he passed a farm. If a farm couple instead of Lionel Luthor had found him, how would his life have been different? He imagined that he would help his father bale hay and feed the cows and do other farm-y things. It wouldn't be difficult, thanks to the great strength he possessed. And he could finish chores that usually take two hours in five minutes. But, how else would life be better?  
  
He'd be respected because he did REAL work, not sissy chores like taking out the trash or washing the dishes (which he didn't do either, since his father had servants to do everything). Maybe he would be on the football team and be well known for that, too.  
  
He slowed down to a more human pace to reflect on these thoughts of a more normal life. Of course, he could never be normal, but as normal as one could get with powers.  
  
As he approached the bridge, he wondered, for perhaps the millionth time, why he had superhuman abilities. Was he a mutant of some sort? Perhaps he had drunk something from one of his father's labs that gave him the strength of a god and the speed of sound. He stopped at the middle of the bridge and stared out at the long river flowing beneath, not nearly large enough to hold all the possibilities.  
  
* * *  
  
Lex, as always, was in a rush to get home. He was doing sixty miles per hour in a brand-new (as always) Porsche in the cold weather, which was not a smart thing to do.  
  
October did not usually bring temperatures of forty-one degrees Fahrenheit to Kansas. But Smallville was unique and was experiencing some radical changes in the weather lately. It was no one's fault but Lex's that he didn't see the ice on the bridge.  
  
Lex's cell phone rang excitedly. As he took his eyes off the road to get out his cell, the Porsche ran over an especially slippery piece of ice.  
  
"Shit!" he exclaimed as he lost control. The car swerved wildly, like a fast merry-go-round. He remembered instructions that he had once heard over the radio of what to do in this situation. However, this did not bode well for Kyle.  
  
At sixty miles per hour, Lex's car hit Kyle, knocking them off the bridge and plunging them both into the cold waters of the river. Chapter 2  
  
Kyle was flying. Never before had he experienced such freedom, nor such a feeling of great power. Then he hit the water.  
  
The wind was knocked out of him, but he was still alive. He looked around to see what had hit him, and saw Lex unconscious inside his Porsche. Damn you, you magnificent bastard, thought Kyle.  
  
Using his Herculean strength, he ripped the top of the car off like a can opener. He unfastened Lex's seatbelt and pulled him out of the expensive vehicle. He then dragged Lex out of the river and laid him by a patch of grass. Next, he administered basic CPR.  
  
"Don't die on me."he muttered as he continued to press down on his brother's chest, forcing the water out of his lungs. At last, Lex coughed and spat out a good amount of river water.  
  
"What the hell? H-how did you survive that?" questioned Lex in disbelief.  
  
"I don't know."admitted Kyle, staring at the broken portion of the bridge. He looked back and Lex and grinned, "But you owe me one!"  
  
* * *  
  
Smallville High was usually empty by four o'clock in the afternoon, but one teen still lurked the hallways.  
  
He found his objective: the trophy case. He smashed his fist into the case, and shook off the glass shards. He reached in again and took out a photo, which dated back to 1989, and stared at it. It was a picture of three football players, each very burly and very blond.  
  
The teen turned to leave but was stopped by an authority-looking man. He wore a blue suit and a nametag that read, "Principal Kwan".  
  
"What are you doing? Who are you?" demanded the principal.  
  
"My name is Jeremy Creek. It's cliché, but I'm out for revenge. And quite frankly, 'sir', you're not going to stop me," replied Jeremy.  
  
"You will NOT threaten me! Detention."  
  
"Detention? Please, I was supposed to graduate years ago. I'll threaten you all I please," challenged Jeremy. He placed his hand on Principal Kwan's chest and focused on the blue glow of electricity. His hand began to glow a hot white-blue, causing Kwan to yell in pain.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?!" screamed Kwan. He was suddenly tossed again the wall and knocked unconscious.  
  
Jeremy Creek left without answering to Kwan, for he didn't even know the true answer himself.  
  
* * *  
  
The Luthor mansion was originally built in Scotland, around the nineteenth century.  
  
After the announcement that the Ross creamed corn factory would be demolished to make way for a LuthorCorp fertilizer plant, Lionel Luthor ordered for the house to be torn down, brick by brick, shipped across the Atlantic, and rebuilt in an area of land in Smallville that he had purchased.  
  
The mansion had over forty rooms and each had lots of space. The largest one, the library, was where Lex and Kyle had retreated to after returning home from the crash.  
  
"I knew you were strong, but." began Lex, pausing to look out the window, appreciating life for perhaps the first time in several long years. ".I didn't know you were invincible. It's all pretty.freaky."  
  
"Geez, Lex, that's like the fiftieth time you've used that word this week alone. Would it kill you to just see me as your brother?" asked Kyle.  
  
"Probably."  
  
"Funny. Why do you hate me? What have I done to you that upsets you day to day?"  
  
"The meteor shower. I was in a cornfield when the first rock hit. It was like a tidal wave coming towards me. When I woke up, Dad was carrying me to the ambulance, which had arrived at least a mile away. And I was bald."  
  
Kyle got up from his couch, walked over to Lex's desk, and sat down in the comfortable chair, an act of restlessness. "But what does that have to do with me?"  
  
"The second rock that hit wasn't a rock at all."  
  
"What was it?"  
  
"It was a spaceship. An actual spaceship."  
  
Kyle burst out laughing, "Lex, are you kidding me? Next you're gonna' say that it opened up and I walked out in a silver jumpsuit."  
  
"Actually, you were butt naked. But anyway, my dad didn't want anyone to find it. He covered it up with a bunch of corn stalks and had us walk a mile before he found help."  
  
"You're kidding. I'm an alien and you've held a grudge because our dad had you walk a mile?" joked Kyle.  
  
"Technically, I wasn't walking. But the point is: you're the cause of my baldness. You are the reason so many people suffered on that day. The meteor shower wasn't just a freak phenomenon.  
  
"I've had a theory. The meteor shower had damaged several satellites. A spacecraft could of easily made it onto Earth undetected. And you are that alien. The pain that the shower brought was your cloak so that no one would see you land. It's your fault."  
  
Kyle suddenly changed expressions as the truth slowly dawned on him. If he were an alien, then maybe his race had superhuman (or average-alien) strength and speed. It explained all the abnormalities of him; his amazing ability to walk away from a car crash unscratched, for example.  
  
As he racked his brain, Kyle could recall a very dim memory. It was of a bearded man smiling down at him, carrying his bald son across a dead cornfield.  
  
"Why.why didn't Dad tell me?" asked Kyle, fighting back tears.  
  
"You should go and ask him," replied Lex. Kyle got up and sped out of the room without notice. "God, I hate it when he does that."  
  
* * *  
  
Metropolis. The name was the only description that the city needed. The skyscrapers themselves seemed to ascend into the heavens. One of the tallest ones was the LuthorCorp building  
  
It took Kyle about half an hour to get to Metropolis, which would normally take anyone three hours if they were driving. He sped past security, for he didn't have the patience to go through them peacefully.  
  
He slammed into his father's office, where he and a middle-aged woman sat, discussing several business papers. They looked up, surprised.  
  
"Er, that'll be all, Martha. Take the day off tomorrow; I have a hunch that I won't be able to come in anyway," dismissed Lionel. Martha acknowledged him, gathered her papers and left the room, shutting the door behind them.  
  
"Dad, we have to talk," announced Kyle. "Lex tells me you have some information on my origins that you've been hiding. It sounds intriguing."  
  
Lionel chuckled, "Did he now? Well, I suppose I cannot deny it. I do indeed know a little on where you're from."  
  
"Am I from this planet?" Lionel froze, thinking over the situation. "Please, I have to know. It would explain so much."  
  
"All right. Get in the helicopter upstairs. I'm taking you back to Smallville."  
  
"DAD! Answer my question!"  
  
"I will, son. The answers you seek will be found in Smallville." Chapter 3  
  
The trip to Smallville was a silent one. Kyle did not want to talk to his father in fear that his father would give him more dry answers, which led to more questions.  
  
What was back at Smallville? Perhaps nothing. He knew that it wasn't beyond Lionel to say that his spaceship was there just to make him go. But he desperately hoped that he could find a clue to his past.  
  
When they finally arrived in Smallville, they landed in a field nearby a deserted farm. Lionel told the pilot to take off and leave after they got off.  
  
"What are we doing here?" asked Kyle.  
  
"I bought this farm about ten years ago. The original family that lived here was the Kent's and their adoptive daughter; I believe her name was Lana or something of the sort. They realized that even though I had bought it, that they simply could not keep it going, so they moved to Metropolis. I offered Mrs. Kent a position as my secretary; you saw her before we left," explained Lionel.  
  
"That doesn't have anything to do with my heritage."  
  
"Why, on the contrary. I had a ranch in Montana, where Lex used to visit her mother, remember? But I needed a place that would be much closer to ground zero: the meteor shower. So I bought this place, and here," he motioned to the storm cellar that they stood by, "is where you'll find what you are looking for."  
  
He opened up the cellar and motioned for Kyle to follow him inside. They walked down the rickety stairs and looked around. It was bare empty, except for a large something covered by a tarp.  
  
Kyle walked over to it and removed the tarp. He was stunned by what he saw and took a few steps back. It was the spaceship.  
  
"It's.real," was all that Kyle could stutter.  
  
"After I found it, I had to rent moving equipment. I moved it to a warehouse in Metropolis, but I knew it wasn't safe there. I had to find a more suitable and deserted location. That's why I purchased this farm. I've spent recent years coming back and gathering snippets of data from the ship. I even managed to trace its origin. But when I checked, there was only debris, perhaps what was left from a planet's explosion."  
  
"You mean.I'm all alone in the universe?"  
  
"I don't know that. I can't tell you, but I wish I could. I.sent you here to see how you would fare among the citizens of a small town."  
  
"I'm a lab rat for you, aren't I?"  
  
"No son. I'm placing you at a crossroads. You choose your destiny. Now that you now your place in this world, what will you make out of your life? Go public and announce that you're an extraterrestrial? Or will you try and lead a secluded life?  
  
"I always asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up. You said you wanted to be just like me. It's finally time to tell you, Kyle that you are meant for much greater things. Not petty business. How else do you want to contribute to the world?"  
  
"I don't know, dad. I always thought me and Lex would take over LuthorCorp together, but after Mom died, he grew so cold and shut even me out. He thinks I'm a freak. And he's right."  
  
"No, son. You are unique. Share your gifts with the world."  
  
Kyle nodded and looked back at the entrance, "I want to feel like I belong, or like I can make a difference." He sped out the cellar, not knowing where he would end up.  
  
"He's a good son, but damn, I hate it when he does that."  
  
* * *  
  
Chloe was surprised to hear the doorbell ring. No one other than Pete ever visited her, and he was with his mom at the courthouse. She opened the door, and was even more surprised to see Kyle.  
  
"Chloe. Hey," began Kyle. "I was, uh, jogging and I came up to your house. I thought maybe we could talk or something."  
  
"Sure," answered Chloe. She led her inside into her living room. "I'm flattered that you jogged this far out."  
  
"Well, uh, I didn't feel liking bothering our chauffeur, so I walked out here from the town. I realize that since moving here, I haven't really talked to you."  
  
"It's no biggie. What's ticking you?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I hate to rub it in, but back in Metropolis, the only time you ever came to my house was when something was annoying you or you felt bad. Not that I really minded, since you paid a bit more attention at school."  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Like I said, it's ok."  
  
"Good.Look, I, uh, is this a bad time? You seem kinda' busy."  
  
"Are you kidding? I would give anything to for a nice distraction like this. Now, what is it before I kick you out for wasting my precious free time? No, wait, that was a joke."  
  
"It wasn't important. I'm just feeling out of place everywhere I go. Um, so why DO you have so much free time? I thought you were into journalism. They got a position open at the Torch."  
  
"I grew out of that in eighth grade."  
  
"Gee, what else have I missed? Does being a Luthor really cut me out of society that much?" Kyle asked.  
  
"Why, yes." They continued to talk for an hour, and Kyle felt much better after he got up to leave. He turned back to look at Chloe before she could say good-bye.  
  
"Chloe, would you go to the homecoming dance with me?"  
  
Chloe could feel herself blush. She had been waiting for that request for years, but it never came, and now, it was too late, "I'm sorry Kyle. Pete already asked me and I said yes."  
  
Kyle just smiled, "It's okay. Later."  
  
Chloe stared at him longingly as he left the driveway, "Bye, Kyle."  
  
* * *  
  
The Smallville Auto Body shop was closed early so that the owner could spend some time fixing his old Mustang. He heard a clank behind and got up to investigate.  
  
"Who's there?" he called out.  
  
"It's me," called back a young voice. The owner, Frank Williams, followed the voice of the intruder.  
  
"Who the hell is 'me'?" he demanded. He could swear he saw a blue glow coming from behind a customer's car.  
  
The voice didn't reply and the glow faded away. Jack played it off as an illusion. He turned back to his car and came face to face with a teenager.  
  
"Whoa! You're gonna' give me a heart attack, kid! Hey, you're that kid. That kid we hung up in '89! Wow, you look young," he recalled.  
  
"Yeah," said Jeremy Creek, as he raised his bluish white hands.  
  
"Whu-what are you doing?! It was just a prank, I swear! No! AGHH!" screamed Frank as his body shook violently from a million-voltage shock. Jeremy laughed as Frank fell to the floor, limp.  
  
The glow from Jeremy's hands faded, along with the life from Frank Williams. He walked over to the opposite wall where Jack kept his trophies. In the middle was the same picture he had stolen from the high school. He focused on his finger, which began to glow the familiar bluish white hue. With that finger, he burned an "X" over Frank's face.and laughed maniacally.  
  
"Two more to go." he murmured as he left. Chapter 4  
  
Kyle arrived back at the Luthor mansion around nine, and found his father hunched over a small case, which he was about to open.  
  
"Kyle! Where have you been?" asked Lionel.  
  
"With a friend, trying to sort stuff out."  
  
"Ah. Well, after you left, I came across a man selling rocks on the side of the road."  
  
"Rocks?"  
  
Lionel smiled, "Not just any rocks. Meteor rocks. Most likely from the same planet that sent you.even more evidence that it's gone. I bought a whole bunch to study and see if we can somehow link them to your gifts. The box is made of lead. The man was rather paranoid, you see. Lead is supposed to contain any radiation."  
  
Lionel opened the case and showed the contents to Kyle. He instantly fell to the floor in an agonizing pain. His veins began to churn and pop out, green, and he felt as if his very blood was boiling.  
  
"What's the matter?!" demanded his father. Kyle was too weak to respond and fell unconscious. Luckily, Lionel got the hint and shut the case.  
  
When he awoke, Kyle could instantly feel his strength return and his body showed no sign of ever being exposed to the lethal substance.  
  
"What were those things again?" he asked his father.  
  
"Meteor rocks. Son, I never imagined that they'd have that kind of effect on you. Are you sure you're alright?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. But why is the one thing that seems to hurt me be a chunk of my planet's debris?"  
  
"Could be any number of things. It could be a different atmosphere or even the solar radiation that's causing their effects on you. I'll take these with me back to Metropolis tomorrow and have them analyzed.personally of course."  
  
"Dad, the EPA declared those rocks harmless years ago.but if they're giving off radiation of any amount, what's to stop them from affecting people who have prolonged exposure to them?"  
  
"Nothing. Good night, son," said Lionel as he left the room and went to bed. Kyle decided to do likewise, and sleep on the day's events.  
  
* * *  
  
Whitney Fordman was at Smallville General, sitting in a chair right next to his father's bed.  
  
"Son." his father mumbled.  
  
"Yeah, dad?" asked Whitney.  
  
"I'm.not gonna' make the big game, am I?"  
  
"Dad, don't talk like that. You'll get better soon. You'll come to the game and you'll watch me play."  
  
"If I don't."  
  
"Even if you don't get better, mom's going to tape it, alright? But you don't have to worry about that."  
  
"Son, you can't feel my pain. Instead, I'm giving you an even more intolerable pain: watching your old man lie on his deathbed. But, I can feel it. I don't have very long."  
  
"Yes, you do!"  
  
"Make me proud in the homecoming game.I'll be watching over you."  
  
"NO!" cried out Whitney as he watched his father fall into unconsciousness. To his relief, he wasn't dead, yet. But he knew something was wrong. He scrambled outside to call the nurse, who quickly came in to check his condition.  
  
Ten minutes later, the doctor told Whitney that his father had fallen into a coma, and it was very unlikely that he would wake up. He forced back tears as he recalled the events that had led to today.  
  
His dad owned a department store, which wasn't doing very well and looked like it would be shut down. In fear, that the store was closed and he would have to find more work, Whitney's father went to Lionel in Metropolis to see if he could get a job at LuthorCorp.  
  
Lionel had instead decided to buy the department store and said that he was going to make adequate changes to ensure that it would keep going. When it finally looked like it would not be able to stay open even with Lionel's financial help, he sold it to a rival company and left the Fordman family's name out of the deed. Now, they were broke, and in debt.  
  
From the shock of this news, his father had a heart attack. He was already on medication concerning his heart, and now it looked like his time on this world was very limited. Plus, they found out that their insurance company had declined to cover his medical costs. This brought only more despair to his father, who cared more about his wife and son than his own health.  
  
"It's all Luthor's fault!" muttered Whitney, angrily. Though Lionel and his oldest son, Lex, were practically untouchable, he was sure that he could extract his revenge on Lionel's younger son, Kyle, who attended his school as a freshman.  
  
A light bulb lit up in his mind. He remembered the Scarecrow ritual, where a geeky freshman was chosen to be taken out into Chandler's Field, stripped down to his boxers, and hung up on a post as a scarecrow for good luck in the homecoming game.  
  
To Whitney's fortune, Kyle was a freshman. He wasn't exactly nerdy or geeky, but he knew that he was a smart student. Half the town would probably thank him, since Kyle was a Luthor, and Luthor's were highly unwelcome to Smallville. Lionel spread poison to EVERY town he came across, and no Luthor was any different from him.  
  
Whitney's expression changed drastically as a smile crept onto his face.  
  
* * *  
  
The next day, several people gathered outside the Smallville Auto Body Shop, where the police had found a dead body.  
  
Chloe peered inside the garage from behind the yellow tape that the police had put up to keep the crowd away. Beside her was Pete, who was not paying much attention.  
  
"Hey, Chloe, check out that guy," motioned Pete, pointing at a teen, who stared at the garage.  
  
"What about him?"  
  
"I haven't seen him around. He looks like a high-schooler."  
  
"So? Pete, don't tell me my paranoia has rubbed off on you."  
  
"Call it intuition. Trust me, there's a bad vibe with a ten-mile radius being given off from that guy," argued Pete.  
  
"Okay, I'll take a photo of him," replied Chloe, slightly convinced. She held up her digital camera, snapped a photo of him, and quickly replaced it at her side before he realized what had just happened.  
  
"C'mon. Let's go see what your records show," ushered Pete. They walked to his car and drove off to school.  
  
* * *  
  
At school, Chloe had led Pete to the office of the Torch, the school newspaper. There, she opened a file containing all yearbooks since 1980 and began checking them one-by-one.  
  
As Chloe began to look into the 1996 edition, Kyle came in.  
  
"Chloe.I didn't expect to find you here. I thought you weren't into journalism anymore. Oh, hey Pete," greeted Kyle. Pete glared at him, but didn't say a word.  
  
"Uh, well, I do still have a hobby of solving mysteries. I don't officially work here, but sometimes I type up editorials every, um, week or so. Never mind that, come check this out."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"It's a guy we saw standing outside the Auto Body shop. He seemed out of place, but I'm sure I saw him in some school-related thingy," answered Pete in an unwelcome tone.  
  
"I'm sure it's easy to recognize every face in town," mocked Kyle.  
  
"Well, it actually kinda' is. Wait. Pete, I think I know where you saw him," recalled Chloe.  
  
"Where?" asked Pete.  
  
"My Book of Weird. It's in my locker, hang on, I'll go get it." Chloe closed the yearbook, put it away, and hurried out the office.  
  
"Book of Weird?" Kyle asked Pete after she had left. He remained silent.  
  
"Come on, Pete, I know what your dad did to your family was bad, but don't hold it on me. I'm different. Hell, my dad's different than he seems. Just give me a chance. The more everyone shuts me out, the more I'll end up being like him."  
  
Pete nodded slowly and began, "Chloe has a Book of Weird. It has newspaper clippings and printouts from everything that has to do with the 'strangeness' of this town since the meteor shower."  
  
Kyle suddenly felt a pang of guilt before he spoke, "Sounds intriguing. I look forward to seeing it."  
  
A minute later, Chloe came back in, holding a thick notebook. She laid it on the table and opened it for them to see.  
  
"It's categorized by year, let's see. Here we go!" she exclaimed as she pointed at a newspaper article, which flashed two pictures: one of a kid's yearbook picture, and one of him being carried onto an ambulance. "His name is Jeremy Creek. According to this, the kid was half-naked in a field when the first meteors hit and was knocked unconscious. By the time he was taken to the hospital, he was deep in a coma."  
  
"Wow, the guy hasn't aged a bit," noted Pete.  
  
"Yeah, he was at real close range to the space rock when it hit. If the rock was radioactive."  
  
"Chloe, the rocks were declared harmless."  
  
"Yeah, Kyle, I know, but it had just gone through the atmosphere and it hit with extreme force: what if it charged him up somehow? Look, there's another article on this guy from not so long ago." She flipped to near the end of the book, and found the one she was seeking. "Remember that really bad lightning storm a few weeks ago? One bolt of lightning struck the State Infirmary where he was being held. When the power came back on, Jeremy had pulled a Houdini."  
  
"I'm not getting where you're going here, Chloe."  
  
"Look, I'm betting that Jeremy hasn't aged a year because of an electrolyte imbalance, probably caused by the impact of the meteor. Maybe the radiation did something to his DNA and all it needed was a little power boost to give him, well, powers. Maybe teleportation."  
  
"I doubt it. I'm going to go see if I can find him," declared Kyle as he got up to leave.  
  
"Wait!" called Chloe as she looked up, but Kyle had disappeared. Pete was still reading the article. "Where did he go? How does he do that?" Chapter 5  
  
Whitney eyed Kyle. Behind him were four other senior, all jocks. They had also been somehow affected negatively by Luthor and wanted to see Lionel hurt as much as Whitney did.  
  
"Alright, guys. Kyle likes to walk, so no limos ever take him anywhere. As soon as he leaves the school building, Carl and Eddy, you guys jump him. James and me will tie him up. Oh, and Danny, you go bring your truck around so we can load him onto it and take him out to Chandler's Field," instructed Whitney.  
  
"Hey, Whitney, can we put this on him?" asked Eddy, holding up a fist-sized piece of a glowing green rock. "Dad has a bunch of them laying around in his garden. He won the prize for the largest pumpkin. Maybe tying it to the Luthor kid will bring us extra good luck in the game."  
  
Whitney rolled his eyes and nodded. They followed Kyle down the hallways.  
  
* * *  
  
Lionel was typing on a very expensive computer, which was analyzing the meteor rocks he had bought the day before. He stared at the screen, reading the analysis.  
  
"Seventeen unknown components?! What the hell is this piece of crap?" roared Lionel.  
  
"Dad. You're still here," said Lex from behind as he came in. "I would imagine that a man as important as you would be in a hurry to get back to his company. Why the sudden interest in this little town?"  
  
"The meteorites, for one thing," answered Lionel. "I don't understand what could possibly be keeping the EPA from going around and collecting these things: they're dangerous!"  
  
"What makes you say that?"  
  
"Supposedly, they didn't give off enough radiation to emit harm, but I've been testing with them. I've discovered that there is a chemical reaction triggered whenever energy is transferred to them."  
  
"Why wouldn't they find that out?"  
  
"Perhaps someone is trying to keep them quiet. Maybe someone is using this whole town as a sick experiment to find out what these rocks can do to people. I really don't know."  
  
"Interesting theory, dad. I suspect maybe Santa Claus has something to do with it," mocked Lex as he began to leave the room. "But you might want to see that guy who sold you those rocks again, if you really believe it that much."  
  
Lionel ignored him and continued to search for answers.  
  
* * *  
  
Chloe rushed into the empty Torch office immediately after school, with Pete trying to keep up.  
  
"Damn, Chloe, what's the rush?" he asked.  
  
"I heard a rumor going around, I want to check it out," she responded as she sat at the editor's desk and turned on the Macintosh computer. "Two more guys died the same death as Frank Williams. They were found electrocuted."  
  
"So?"  
  
"I'm checking what they have in common."  
  
"Look, I'm sure the current editor would be glad to pass his job onto you. Tell me again, why you don't want to work here?"  
  
"Later, Pete. Look, the three guys were all the best football players of '89."  
  
"Good work, Nancy Drew, where does that lead us?"  
  
Chloe stared at the computer screen for a second before answering, "Nowhere."  
  
"Right. So.wait. Uh, yesterday.you said that they found Jeremy half naked in a field, right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"It makes sense. Every year, the jocks pick one nerdy freshman, jump him, strip him down to his boxers, and tie him up in Chandler's Field. It's the Scarecrow ritual, for good luck in the homecoming game."  
  
"What? Wow, very Neanderthal. I pity the poor sap that gets picked this.year." She glanced up at Pete in sudden realization.  
  
"Kyle," they said in unison.  
  
* * *  
  
Kyle had not felt like looking for Chloe, so he decided to head home instead. As he walked down the steps, he checked around to make sure it was safe to use his speed. That's when he saw the two jocks.  
  
"Hey, Luthor! Wanna' come over here for a sec? We just want to talk," called out the lankier one, named Carl. Kyle eyed him, and then slowly began to approach them.  
  
"What do you want?" asked Kyle. They just smiled and continued to come up to him.  
  
When he was just two steps away from them, they sprang into action and tackled him. He was about to toss them off of him, when he suddenly felt sick. He felt his insides churn and his veins pop out. It was the same way he felt around meteor rocks.  
  
Whitney and James arrived then and took advantage of his weak state. They violently picked him up, and carried him to the truck that had just pulled up. Eddy then handed Whitney the meteor rock, which was now tied to a piece of rope, like a necklace. He took it and put it around Kyle's neck.  
  
They drove off without anyone witnessing it. Chapter 6  
  
Pete and Chloe had searched the entire school building and asked around to see if anyone had seen Kyle. No one had.  
  
"Pete, maybe we're wrong," assured Chloe.  
  
"No, I got a feeling that he's the one they chose. Trust.we're too late," he muttered.  
  
"Did they tell you? You're on the football team, after all," Chloe pointed out. "Or does your sudden bursts of intuition have something to do that qualifies for Book of Weird.?"  
  
"Uh, let's talk about that later, we gotta' find Kyle," hurried Pete.  
  
"Yeah, that's the other thing, I thought you hated him."  
  
"Well, Chloe, I figured I can't hold him responsible for what his dad did. Especially when the guy was adopted after that and maybe lost his biological parents or something. But anyway, come on, let's go check Chandler's Field, I hear that's where they take the Scarecrows!"  
  
"Don't you have to play in that game? I'll go find him and you go get ready. Pete! Don't argue!" she commanded and left for the parking lot, leaving a very worried Pete behind.  
  
* * *  
  
By the time Chloe had even left for Chandler's Field, almost two hours had passed, and the sun was setting rapidly. Neither Pete nor Chloe had realized it and Pete would it only make to the stadium in time for half time.  
  
Meanwhile, Kyle had already been tied up and was weakening rapidly from the meteor rock. His mind was slipping in and out of consciousness and death was breathing down his neck.  
  
By chance, Jeremy Creek had returned to the field to "talk" to the post. He was surprised to find Kyle.  
  
"You! I thought they would stop if I punished them. But it never stops does it?" mumbled Jeremy.  
  
"Jeremy.help me down!" pleaded Kyle.  
  
"Twelve years ago, I asked for that very simple thing. They didn't save me. I don't think I should save you either," joked Jeremy. "And how do you know my name?"  
  
"I know that you're the one.*gasp*.going around killing the jocks that tied you up.now help me down!"  
  
"No, you'll be safer here," said Jeremy, firmly. He turned to leave.  
  
"WAIT! Just take off this.necklace. The rope's cutting into my neck." requested Kyle. "Just do that one thing."  
  
Jeremy faced him again and considered it. Then he approached Kyle, yanked the rock off and tossed it on the ground. Kyle's strength did not immediately return, but it was enough for what he planned to do. He remained silent as he watched Jeremy disappear into the cornstalks.  
  
* * *  
  
Lex Luthor was leaving the LuthorCorp fertilizer plant (number three) when he saw a kid jumping over the fence that surrounded the neighboring field.  
  
Before even considering the fact that the boy was trespassing, he felt an odd feeling as he realized that he knew the boy from somewhere. It was an inexplicable eerie feeling, one that convinced him to stop the car and investigate.  
  
But by the time he did, the boy was nowhere in sight. Puzzled, Lex got back in his car, and headed home.  
  
If only he had remembered who he was, and from where, Lex might've been more prepared for the future events that would occur that night.  
  
* * *  
  
Kyle used the last of his strength to break free of his bonds and fell to the ground. Groggily, he picked up the piece of meteor rock, enduring every thorn of pain that the rock caused him, and hurled it away at least fifty yards.  
  
It was enough. Kyle's strength and speed immediately returned. He located his clothes and shoes in a neat pile (the jocks had complained that Kyle might not really have been a Luthor, since they found nothing of value, except for a few one-dollar bills). He quickly put them on and super-sped to the school.  
  
* * *  
  
It wasn't terribly difficult to locate the post where they tied up the Scarecrows for Chloe. She found the narrow trail that the jocks had used and followed it.  
  
It led to the post, but Kyle, nor anyone else, was anywhere to be found. She dropped to her knees and checked the ground. She found imprints and footprints, but nothing else that would indicate that Kyle was here.  
  
Disappointed, she ran back to her car and raced home to get ready for the dance.  
  
* * *  
  
Kyle was moving incredibly fast, and arrived at the school long before Jeremy did. The game was not yet over, and he didn't know what to do next.  
  
He jumped as he heard the sky rumble (he had always been a bit afraid of thunder) and realized what Jeremy was planning to do.  
  
Jeremy was planning to kill everyone.  
  
"Damn you, you bastard," he muttered to himself. Chapter 7  
  
It had begun to rain, which pleased Jeremy greatly. He had managed to find a parked '98 Civic, used his powers to hot wire the car, and drove to the school.  
  
He parked under a roof and got out, determined to stay dry. He quickly jogged over to the stadium and was surprised to encounter Kyle.  
  
"You're not hurting anyone, Jeremy!" promised Kyle. Jeremy just stared in utter confusion, not comprehending how he could be standing before him.  
  
"How did you get here so fast?" asked Jeremy.  
  
"I'm different, just like you."  
  
"No. We're both scarecrows.but you want to protect these people. Why? Don't you want revenge for hurting you? I bet they're out there on the field. Playing, having a good time, look! They're even winning! Now get out of my way, before I decide to hurt you too." Jeremy's hand began to glow blue and he shot a bolt of lightning at Kyle, who was knocked back several feet.  
  
To add to his surprise, Kyle got up. He calmly walked toward Jeremy and grabbed him by the collar.  
  
"What are you gonna' do? Kill me?" mocked Jeremy. Suddenly, his entire body began to glow, from blue to a bright white. "I'm energy, kid! You can't destroy me! Nothing can!"  
  
At that instant, Kyle threw Jeremy out into the rain, where he began to writhe in pain. Before Jeremy could turn his predicament into his advantage by electrocuting the ground, Kyle ran up to him and threw him again, this time farther.  
  
It was clear that Kyle would not let Jeremy use his powers on the stadium, so Jeremy did what he thought was the next logical thing: he climbed a nearby telephone pole and grabbed the phone line.  
  
His body became so bright that even Kyle had to shield his eyes. When the light faded, Jeremy was gone, leaving behind only his scorched clothes.  
  
Behind Kyle, he could hear the crowd roar. Smallville had scored again, and won the game between them and Grandville. Very few had noticed the light that was made from their fight. Kyle smirked as he admitted the fact that even though he had just saved Smallville, the locals would never accept him because of his family.  
  
The people were getting up to move to the cafeteria, where the dance would be held. Kyle was already gone.  
  
* * *  
  
Lex had gotten home quickly. He relaxed at his desk in the library and turned on his laptop, then logged onto the Internet. Just as the computer told him he had five new messages, the screen exploded, along with every light bulb in the room.  
  
He ducked for cover behind a sofa and looked around to see what was happening. Before his eyes he could see a bulky form materialize from out of thin air. The form looked almost humanoid, glowed a bluish-white, and electricity crackled around his thick skin.  
  
The energy being looked at him at instantly recognized him from twelve years ago. In a distorted voice, he bellowed, "YOU!"  
  
The young Luthor could recall that voice as the one that had pleaded him for help, despite the distortion. The memory of that awful day caused tears to form. "I'm sorry!"  
  
"Sorry?! That's not enough. I've had my revenge on the jocks. Now I need to kill YOU!" The being lunged for Lex, who sprang up and ran out the room. With a simple wave of his hand, the being caused the wall to obliterate, and he gave chase to Lex.  
  
* * *  
  
Chloe smiled as she saw Pete, who awaited her by the refreshment table.  
  
"Pete! What a lovely surprise," she teased.  
  
"Yeah. You look pretty," noticed Pete.  
  
"Why, thank you," thanked Chloe as reached to grab a cup of Hawaiian punch. She took a sip, and then confronted Pete, "Alright. It's time to let the cat out of the bag. How did you know it was too late to save Kyle?"  
  
"Oh.that."  
  
"Yes, that. You've been avoiding directly answering my question on how you know things like that. Now, tell me."  
  
"I didn't want to say, because I was afraid that I would end up in your.book."  
  
"My Book of Weird? Pete, I was just kidding before."  
  
"I-I wasn't. Chloe, I really like you, and I want to tell you.but I can't."  
  
"Ok, you've said enough to let me guess: you're psychic. Wow, big secret. Really, what are you holding back? You're halfway to telling me. Just.Pete, are you alright?" Pete was clutching his forehead and reeling in pain. "That must be some migraine."  
  
"Call 911! Send them to the Luthor mansion! Now, Chloe!" urged Pete as he stumbled into the hall. Chloe fumbled in her purse for her cell phone.  
  
"Wait, what do I tell them that's going on?" she called, but Pete had already disappeared into the hall. "Yeah, 911.?"  
  
* * *  
  
Kyle was running down Hickory Lane when he saw the flash of light in the distance. It was coming from the same direction as the Luthor mansion. Not sure of what was happening, Kyle sped by the abandoned Kent Farm and headed home.  
  
* * *  
  
"LEX! What's going on?" demanded Lionel.  
  
"We're being attacked, call security!!" urged Lex, as he shoved Lionel down the hall.  
  
"I did, no one's answering! What the hell is that rumbling?" The being finally arrived on the hallway Lex was on, paused, and fired a bolt at Lex.  
  
Everything seemed to freeze as the bolt of raw energy barreled down the corridor, heading for Lex. They were cornered, and both Lionel and his son had no idea if they would survive.  
  
Jeremy did know. They wouldn't. Chapter 8  
  
.At least, they wouldn't have if Kyle hadn't added a burst of speed at the last instant and put himself between the older Luthors and the bolt. He screamed in pain as he absorbed the million-voltage shock from the bolt as Lionel pulled himself and Lex down into the next hall.  
  
Kyle shook off the shock and charged Jeremy. They fell backwards into the solarium.  
  
"ARGH! You ruin everything!" yelled Jeremy. He grabbed Kyle by the shoulders and poured all his energy into him. Kyle fell and blacked out. Temporarily out of power, Jeremy picked up Kyle's motionless body and tossed him out the large stained-glass window.  
  
Free of obstacles, he walked over to a nearby fuse box and recharged himself. Once again in his energy form alter ego, he mentally dubbed himself Scarecrow.  
  
And then he resumed the chase.  
  
* * *  
  
Kyle's heart had stopped beating. His breathing rate was slowing very rapidly and his mind began to go numb. Death was near and it wanted to claim the last son of a dead race.  
  
But the sun had not yet set.  
  
He could feel the warm rays bathe his body, giving him strength and the will to live. Slowly, his heart beat once, pumping blood through his entire system. Then again. And again, until it finally achieved a steady rhythm. Kyle opened his eyes, and got up.  
  
"I know how to stop him," murmured Kyle to himself. He sped back into the mansion.  
  
* * *  
  
Lionel and Lex had stumbled into the indoor pool, just as Kyle had hoped for. Close behind them was Scarecrow.  
  
At this point, Scarecrow knew that the man he was chasing was a Luthor, and took great pleasure in terrifying the most powerful family in the world. "Luthors! Why don't you go ahead and take a nice dip in the pool?"  
  
Lex was following his father to the other side of the pool when he tripped and almost fell into the pool. Hesitating, Lionel stopped and pulled him up. They barely dodged a bolt fired by Scarecrow.  
  
"Jeremy!" called Kyle from behind. "You don't have to do this. You can still stop!"  
  
"Jeremy? Jeremy no longer exists. There's only Scarecrow! And you're a bit too late!" He fired at the ceiling above Kyle and watched in amazement as the rubble merely bounced off of him. "What the hell are you?"  
  
Kyle prepared himself for his next feat, "I'm adopted." At his fastest speed ever, Kyle rammed Scarecrow into the pool, managing not to hurt himself in the process.  
  
Scarecrow fell into the pool, and screamed in pain as he crackled and sparked. His outer energy form "shell" was disappearing, and soon he was naked, and rapidly sinking to the bottom of the pool.  
  
Kyle jumped in after him and pulled him out. When he finally did manage it, he was shocked to see that he had aged at least ten years in that moment.  
  
"Who are you?" asked Jeremy. "Where am I?"  
  
"I'm Kyle Luthor. You're in Smallville," answered Kyle, smiling.  
  
"I want to go home."  
  
--Epilogue--  
  
The police arrived late, as always. They arrested Jeremy and kept the Luthor family around for questioning. When the interrogations were over, Lionel went to talk to Kyle.  
  
"Son, I'm proud of what you did," congratulated Lionel.  
  
"Thanks, dad. I was afraid you wouldn't be. It's kind of un-Luthor like, don't you think?"  
  
"Giving a second chance to a man that's trying to kill ya'?" he chuckled, "No, Kyle. I'm proud of you because of the human qualities you demonstrated. Morality, forgiveness, kindness, even pity. You might say that the Luthor family are the true (he lowered his voice) aliens."  
  
"Don't worry, your secrets are safe with me." Lionel patted him on the back.  
  
"So, I suppose this brings up a very important question: do you want to stay in Smallville? You're not the one in exile." He briefly glanced at Lex. "You could come back with me to Metropolis, and not have to deal with all those dirty looks or anything like that."  
  
"It's a challenge. Luthors never back away from them. I'll stay."  
  
"Good," he said before going over to Lex to reassure him.  
  
Kyle smiled and looked out at the fields of Smallville. He had to appreciate it; after all, it was his home now. 


End file.
